baronbvp

Well, my MT class was canceled again for snow. I was planning to lift, but after shoveling all the ice-packed snow off my driveway, I think I will call that a qual. I even hurt my left wrist a bit digging into a big ice chunk with the shovel. Maybe it's just as well I don't have class tonight.

My thoughts exactly. Kata is a song and the motions are the notes. If you can see the math in the movement, you are some-body.

The shower is where I get my "me" time. Alone with my thoughts. Driving, too. One thing I try to do Zen-like when I fight is to see everything, look at nothing. If I can let it work under the pressure, I am way better. It is amazing.

Can you destroy Love? I think Love is the motive force of consciousness, transmitting information using the medium of energy.

I have almost died many times. I am not afraid. I am also not yet ready.

Another trick I did was to teach my kids a Pavlovian response. When they were little, after I did something clever or that they enjoyed like let them have ice cream, I would ask, "Who rocks?" and they would all yell in unison, "DAD ROCKS!" It's a great party trick. They still do it. My wife just rolls her eyes.

But I also keep my sense of humor about it. If I call myself by my last name or some cuss word, it's goading myself to do better. Then I laugh, and do better.

The trick is to make the fear work for you, instead of against you. With adrenaline comes clarity, if you let it. Harness the fear in your gut where your chi lives. Use it to clear the mind and power the body. I also believe in not staying totally in the mind, but using instinct as a sensor to perceive the situation beyond rational analysis. You may find a solution that is not readily apparent. Then the trick is to control the trigger that takes you from the ready being to the active being. That infinitesimal moment when you have decided to fight and you start your first motion. Stepping over that line is creepy but required.

Great idea for a thread, Symphony-x! Know your body and listen to it. It is the machine through which you perform your art/sport. If it needs rest, exercise, healing, water, a mental health day, a vacation, a doctor, stretching, whatever - do it. You need to make your machine last over the long haul. A life in martial arts is an endurance race, not a sprint.

BB of C, I totally sympathize. But something doesn't add up here. First, you have been going twice a week for a year, sparring brown and black belts and holding your own, and you are still a yellow belt? There is something wrong. Unless its completely kata-based and you aren't testing for belts, you should have higher rank. This is a reason I am not a belt fan. I think you need to sit down with your dad and lay out what you really are trying to accomplish in your life, and across what timeline. Lay out your MA goals. Explain to him that your school isn't living up to your current needs. If you've been there for a year, you have certainly met the spirit of your dad's requirement for commitment on your part. If he has some arbitrary belt achievement you need to meet in order to switch schools, explore how you might further advance your training in another environment. This art or school may not be what best suits YOU. If all of this is a non-starter, then talk to your lead instructor about what specifically you need to do to advance. Armed with that information, buckle down and do what it takes. Don't get distracted until you achieve your goal. And keep us posted.

Wow, that's a lot. Good for you. I can only "justify" twice/week. I lift weights one or two days at home.

Awesome.

Our Midwest got slammed. Syracuse, NY got two feet last night, I believe.

GojuGal, what did you learn?

Boy, that guy Hall can move. I notice a lot of guys getting punched or taken down after high or mid kicks. Lethal blows if they connect, but always a risk. I like his takedown move where he follows by punching the opponent's face through the legs. Domination and the end of the fight.

I wake up at 0600 with an alarm, but even on weekends I still wake up then. I am an early riser; always have been. My wife, on the other hand, can sleep as long as a cat. Of course, she's a Leo so I guess that makes sense.

Here are a couple of different types, including female groin protectors: http://store.titleboxing.com/female-boxing-gear.html I'm a guy so I can't vouch for their comfort. I do know that they are improving them all the time, especially now that women are getting into MMA. I'll bet you can find something you could wear all class. It might take some getting used to, but so do groin protectors. After awhile you barely feel them.

No dojo shots, but here's me at work: http://www.karateforums.com/album_pic.php?pic_id=423

I can destroy an integrated air defense system. I used to fly EA-6B Prowler jets off carriers. Most recently I ran an aircraft carrier as Operations Officer. Nowadays I get paid full time to learn German in preparation for my next job. This doesn't suck. Recently my wife and I have gotten back into Star Trek: Voyager which is being rerun on on Spike. I have introduced my kids to it. It is much healthier and thought-provoking than many other things kids could watch. We have all kinds of great discussions about the nature of reality, time, space, moral dilemmas, fighting with unmatched weapons, etc. We have great philosophical discussions!

Another snow day! This time we have ice, too. It's great because it means no work for me and no school for my kids. Unfortunately, it also means no Thai kickboxing class tonight for the second week in a row. We will have to do some serious review if we can finally have class next week. If that one gets canx'd, we might even just have to get our money refunded because the makeup classes will bleed over into those of the new quarter. But I still love snow.

Very well articulated, Cross. I agree. I also don't like opening up my groin with any kicks, so even if I do them they'd be low and tight to the thigh or below. That's also why I love knees and elbows. Like the knight in chess, they are for close-in knife fight kind of moves with many target possibilities. The distance slash moves like a kick to the head are more like the bishop. Kinetic chess!

Well, yeah...the fighting. That's true. I like the duo of Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. Good comedy.

Can someone please explain to me the value of the one-armed pushup, other than looking like Jack Palance at the Oscars?

Ouch! I'm with ya. I don't want cortisone shots into my hip, either.

Or join the team, or practice with them.